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Call it grime and punishment: four multicultural mates (Samuel Anokye, David Bonnick Jr., Nur Alam Rahman, Brett Harris) try to survive a manic weekender in The Plague, a (very) rough 'n' ready tale of having it large in London town. Writer/drector Greg Hall's first feature was shot for a no-budget Β£3,500 - but its tale of a drug deal gone wrong has a vibrant, raw flow that's backed up by some freestyle beats from underground heroes Skinnyman and DJ Flip.

The history of The Plague is almost as intriguing as the movie itself; shot for chump change and originally distributed by download, it was unexpectedly championed by filmmaker Mike Leigh after he caught an early preview. With Leigh and word of mouth support in its corner, it's finally received a limited UK theatrical release.

"SO UP FOR IT"

The Plague's a refreshingly real take on London's urban sprawl, its four hoodie rats crossing the thin blue line as they deal a bit of weed, party and hang out. The poverty-stricken production sometimes jars - like the police car interior with a sunroof and a WWF sticker on the window - and its climactic punch-up shamefully bottles it. It lacks the relative polish of other contemporary Brit-hop dramas (compare Life & Lyrics), but you'll likely forgive it its faults simply because it's so up for it. When Hall approached the UK Film Council for funding, the middle-aged suits told him: "There is no cinema-going audience for this type of film." Hopefully, Britain's kids will prove them wrong.